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The St. Louis–East St. Louis tornado, one of the deadliest and most destructive tornadoes in U.S. history, struck St. Louis, Missouri, and East St. Louis, Illinois, killing more than 255 people and injuring at least 1,000 others.

On May 27, in the year 1896, The St. Louis–East St. Louis tornado, one of the deadliest and most destructive tornadoes in U.S. history, struck St. Louis, Missouri, and East St. Louis, Illinois, killing more than 255 people and injuring at least 1,000 others. This event is recorded as a Selected Events event in the history of May 27, one of 460 recorded events on this date across all of history.

The 1896 St. Louis–East St. Louis tornado was a historic tornado that caused severe damage to downtown St. Louis, Missouri, East St. Louis, Illinois, and surrounding areas on Wednesday, May 27, 1896, at around 5:00 pm. One of the deadliest and most destructive tornadoes in U.S. history, this tornado was the most notable of a major tornado outbreak sequence across the central United States which produced several other large, long-track, violent tornadoes and continued across the eastern United States the following day. The St. Louis tornado killed at least 255 people, injured over a thousand others, and caused more than $10 million in damage in about 20 minutes. More than 5,000 people were left homeless and lost all of their possessions. The hardest-hit areas of the city were the fashionable Lafayette Square and Compton Heights neighborhoods, as well as the poorer Mill Creek Valley. It remains the third-deadliest tornado in United States history.

Key Facts

  • This event took place on May 27, 1896 (AD era).
  • It is categorised as a Selected Events event in recorded history.
  • Referenced in 4 Wikipedia articles.
  • Wikipedia source last updated on 20 May 2026.

On This Date in History 460

Type Year Date Event
Notable Deaths 2025 May 27 Freddie Aguilar, Filipino musician and singer-songwriter (born 1953)
Notable Deaths 2024 May 27 Elizabeth MacRae, American actress (born 1936)
Notable Deaths 2024 May 27 Bill Walton, American basketball player and sportscaster (born 1952)
Notable Deaths 2021 May 27 Poul Schlüter, former Prime Minister of Denmark (born 1929)
Notable Deaths 2020 May 27 Larry Kramer, American playwright, public health advocate and LGBT rights activist (born 1935)
Historical Events 2018 May 27 Maryland Flood Event: A flood occurs throughout the Patapsco Valley, causing one death, destroying the entire first floo
Notable Deaths 2018 May 27 Gardner Dozois, American science fiction author and editor (born 1947)
Historical Events 2017 May 27 Andrew Scheer takes over after Rona Ambrose as the leader of the Conservative Party of Canada
Notable Deaths 2017 May 27 Gregg Allman, American musician, singer and songwriter (born 1947)
Historical Events 2016 May 27 Barack Obama is the first president of the United States to visit Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park and meet Hibakusha
Notable Deaths 2015 May 27 Erik Carlsson, Swedish rally driver (born 1929)
Notable Deaths 2015 May 27 Nils Christie, Norwegian sociologist, criminologist, and author (born 1928)
Notable Deaths 2015 May 27 Andy King, English footballer and manager (born 1956)
Notable Deaths 2015 May 27 Michael Martin, American philosopher and academic (born 1932)
Historical Events 2014 May 27 The football club Kerala Blasters FC and its first supporters' group Manjappada are formed
Notable Deaths 2014 May 27 Robert Genn, Canadian painter and author (born 1936)
Notable Deaths 2014 May 27 Helma Sanders-Brahms, German director, producer, and screenwriter (born 1940)
Notable Deaths 2014 May 27 Roberto Vargas, Puerto Rican-American baseball player, coach, and manager (born 1929)
Notable Deaths 2014 May 27 Massimo Vignelli, Italian-American graphic designer (born 1931)
Notable Deaths 2013 May 27 Jagjit Singh Lyallpuri, Indian politician (born 1917)
Notable Deaths 2013 May 27 Bill Pertwee, English actor (born 1926)
Notable Deaths 2013 May 27 Abdoulaye Sékou Sow, Malian politician, Prime Minister of Mali (born 1931)
Notable Deaths 2012 May 27 Simeon Daniel, Nevisian educator and politician, 1st Premier of Nevis (born 1934)
Notable Deaths 2012 May 27 Friedrich Hirzebruch, German mathematician and academic (born 1927)
Notable Deaths 2012 May 27 Anahit Perikhanian, Russian-born Armenian Iranologist (born 1928)
Notable Deaths 2012 May 27 David Rimoin, Canadian-American geneticist and academic (born 1936)
Notable Deaths 2011 May 27 Jeff Conaway, American actor and singer (born 1950)
Notable Deaths 2011 May 27 Margo Dydek, Polish-American basketball player (born 1974)
Notable Deaths 2011 May 27 Gil Scott-Heron, American singer-songwriter and poet (born 1949)
Notable Deaths 2010 May 27 Payut Ngaokrachang, Thai animator and director (born 1929)
Notable Deaths 2009 May 27 Thomas M
Notable Deaths 2009 May 27 Clive Granger, Welsh-American economist and academic, Nobel Prize laureate (born 1934)
Notable Deaths 2009 May 27 Mona Grey, British nursing administrator; Northern Ireland's first Chief Nursing Officer (born 1910)
Notable Deaths 2009 May 27 Abram Hoffer, Canadian biochemist, physician, and psychiatrist (born 1917)
Notable Deaths 2009 May 27 Gérard Jean-Juste, Haitian-American priest and theologian (born 1946)
Notable Deaths 2009 May 27 Carol Anne O'Marie, American nun and author (born 1933)
Notable Deaths 2009 May 27 William Refshauge, Australian soldier and physician (born 1913)
Notable Deaths 2009 May 27 Paul Sharratt, English-American television host (born 1933)
Notable Deaths 2008 May 27 Franz Künstler, Hungarian soldier (born 1900)
Notable Deaths 2007 May 27 Izumi Sakai, Japanese singer-songwriter (born 1967)
Notable Deaths 2007 May 27 Gretchen Wyler, American actress and dancer (born 1932)
Notable Deaths 2007 May 27 Ed Yost, American inventor, created the modern hot air balloon (born 1919)
Historical Events 2006 May 27 The 6
Notable Deaths 2006 May 27 Rob Borsellino, American journalist (born 1949)
Notable Deaths 2006 May 27 Paul Gleason, American actor (born 1939)
Notable Deaths 2006 May 27 Craig Heyward, American football player (born 1966)
Selected Events 2006 May 27 An earthquake registering 6
Notable Births 2003 May 27 Franco Colapinto, Formula 1 driver
Notable Deaths 2003 May 27 Luciano Berio, Italian composer and educator (born 1925)
Notable Births 2002 May 27 Jérémy Doku, Belgian footballer

This article draws on content from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

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